Another Canadian First World War Soldier Found in Hallu, France, Identified

News Release

November 5, 2014 Ottawa, Ontario - Department of National Defence

The Department of National Defence (DND) and the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) have succeeded in identifying the remains a fifth First World War soldier found in Hallu, France, as Private Sidney Halliday.

The DND and the CAF had previously announced the identification of four of Private Halliday’s fellow soldiers in September 2014 during an announcement in Winnipeg.

The DND and the CAF are working with the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and in consultation with the soldiers’ relatives to plan for an internment ceremony to provide the soldiers with a final honoured and appropriate resting place.

Quick Facts

Private Halliday, who was 22 at the time of his death, was born in England but had moved to Manitoba in 1915 and fought with the 78th Battalion during the First World War.
During the First World War, the 78th Battalion, also known as the Winnipeg Grenadiers, was to relieve the 3rd Division in the Canadian lines following the first attack of the Battle of Amiens on August 8, 1918. On August 10, the 78th Battalion received orders to capture the small village of Hallu, located in the Somme region of France. During the advance, the 78th Battalion suffered over 46 fatalities and 54 missing, of whom 30 presently remain ‘missing’ with no known grave.
The DND and the CAF work to identify soldiers, sailors and air force personnel whenever their remains are found. For those whose remains can be recovered and identified, the DND and the CAF make every effort to provide the fallen members with the dignity and respect they deserve.
More than 26 000 members of Canada’s Army, Air Force, and Navy who died in the First and Second World Wars and the Korean War have no known or maintainable grave. Of the nearly 68 000 Canadian fatalities during the First World War, more than 19 000 members have no known grave.
Whenever the remains of some of the formerly missing soldiers, sailors and air force personnel are discovered, the DND and the CAF use historical research, physical anthropology, genealogical research, genetic testing, and isotope analysis to determine their identity. This research and testing can sometimes take years before a positive identification is made.
In 2006 and 2007, the remains of eight Canadian soldiers were located in the village of Hallu in the Somme Region of northern France. This was the largest single find of unknown Canadian soldiers since the CAF Casualty Identification programme started in 2006. Four soldiers were identified earlier this year, and it is hoped that with this additional identification and further testing and analysis, the other three soldiers, also believed to be from the Winnipeg Grenadiers, will be identifiable as well.

Related Products

News Release: Remains of Canadian First World War Soldiers Found in Hallu, France Identified (September 27, 2014)
Backgrounder - Identification of First World War Soldiers in Hallu, France

Associated Links

Historic Casualty Identification

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Another Canadian First World War Soldier Found in Hallu, France, Identified

News Release

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